Oil

It's not a matter of if the ship is going down, it's just a matter of when.

"The economists all think that if you show up at the cashier's cage with enough currency, God will put more oil in ground," Deffeyes said.

Oil and car companies have spent the last 50 years working together to make as much money as possible (read:by taking it from your pocket). It's quite obviously a mistake that they haven't been making a real effort to produce more efficient cars, and vehicles that use alternatvie forms of engery.

When faced with this problem, what do you they do? Deny it exisits.

"A man who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it, is committing another mistake." Confucius

winamp tops again

In the technology world there always another way. Check out this article over at Wired.

I know I'm up for not using iTunes if I don't have to. It takes like 2 minutes to load and uses a lot of system resouces while it's running, plus it gives you the freedom to do what you want with your files, always a plus.

leaving

Getting ready to leave Japan is both exciting and sad. There are so many great things I got to do here, but eventually one has to move on.

I think staying on for the full three years of my program was the right decision, but I wouldn't want to stay longer. Having an easy job, and money to burn is nice, but lacking fulfillment in life and not feeling like you're progressing is what's keeping me from staying on any longer in foreign language education here in Japan.

<>There are numerous things I'll miss. A few examples:

-anko
-onigiri
-mikans
-cicadas
-cold green tea from the conbini
-trying to guess when the first snow will fall on top of Mt. Fuji
-walking around even seedy parts of Tokyo and not feeling like you're going to get jumped -feeling like a rockstar walking around town
-having students shout your name and be excited to see you
-100 yen sushi shops

more later...

rain

Rain on my window
some soggy shoes on my feet,
do ducks ever blink?

yellow?

Yellow bikes for everyone! At least in Portland anyways.

One of the things I'll miss about Japan is the excellent public transportation system. I've been here three years and never had a car. Between trains, buses, and bikes you can get almost anywhere.

Granted the freedom of being able to drive anywhere at anytime is great but it was nice to not have to worry about the costs and hassles of owning a car for awhile.

pinkerton

Interesting article about Weezer's second album. Great but different.

Weezer action!

Just got the new weezer cd yesterday. Man, I was really pleased. There are some excellent tracks on there. I'd say say it's my third favorite weezer album. 1st being Blue, followed by Green, then the new one, Make Believe. My suggestion to you? Check out the Weezer Official Site, or go ahead and buy it!

more poetry

a thousand winds

author unknown
---------------------------------

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there, I do not sleep

I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on the snow,
I am the sunlight on the ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn's rain,

When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there, I did not die.

museum studies

The ever positive Cat and Girl discuss the merits of museums.

humor me

The spring wind blowing
a red kite flying the sky
Mt. Fuji looks on

Asteroids?

How do you calmly and without worrying anyone tell people the world as we know it is going to be completely wiped out?

From Nasa's scale of asteriod warning levels, a level 10 warning used to be described as "causing global climatic disaster." The new description reads "a certain collision capable of causing global climatic catastrophe that may threaten the future of civilization as we know it." Oh, and have a nice day.

Check out the rest of the article here.

Know the law!

Check this out. Everything you need to know if you get stopped by the "kesatsu" (police) in Japan.